


Cece Has An Interesting Summer

by honeystucky



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: A Cute Dog - Freeform, Beefy Husbands, Canon Divergent, Cece Meets Her Idols, Domestic Fluff, Humor, M/M, Not Infinty War Compliant, Obliviousness, Pets, Steve And Bucky Hang Out With Their Neighbor, outsider pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-08-30 02:50:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16756426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeystucky/pseuds/honeystucky
Summary: Self certified Captain America nerd Cece Banks get new neighbors.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic!! A bit of shameless self insertion lmao. This is set post Cacw, Bucky has already been to Wakanda, and him and Steve “retire” to the suburbs. But of course they don’t really retire.

Cece Banks has new neighbors.   
She’s relieved to find out that they have no little kids, thank god. She already has enough tiny neighbors afoot. These new neighbors are two extremely beefy guys, whom she doesn’t see the face of. From behind, one has short blonde hair and the other body-builder-looking dude has longish dark hair, and they’re holding hands. Cute. Cece tears her eyes away from the neighborhood’s newest lgbt community members, population now 3, and rolls her brand new computer chair, a 14th birthday present across the little space in her room to roll across. She rolls back to a beat up chromebook, where the screen glows a familiar navy blue. She continues to scroll through her tumblr, looping bracelets of braided yarn on her wrist. One bracelet is blue, purple and pink. They’re the Bi flag colors, but no one has to know that. She’ll keep her sexuality planted firmly in the closet, thank you very much, she thinks. A dog barks close by, and she rolls over to the window to see one of her muscly new neighbors (in sunglasses) walking an adorable, curly-haired golden retriever. Maybe she will actually talk to these neighbors.

——

Ah, Tumblr. Cece’s safe space to geek out about superheroes. When Cece was in 5th grade, they learned about Captain America and the Howling Commandoes, and she fell in love with them and WWII history. Captain America being alive still was a plus, too. When Cece was 12, she found the wonderful hellsite of tumblr dot com. And the concept of shipping. She totally ships Steve and Bucky, by the way. Anyway, Cece is unhealthily obsessed with Captain America, and Bucky Barnes a little less.  
It’s been two months with her new neighbors and Cece is sort of dying to meet them. They seem like nice people, ya know? Bodybuilder husbands with an adorable golden retriever. But, she hasn’t even seen their faces yet. They must work from home, or something weird like that, because she’s only ever seen them leave the house to walk the dog, or at night. Hey, she’s not a stalker, it’s summer vacation and the place where she spends most of her time is near the window. She scrolls her way through tumblr, again. Still no word about Cap and the whole war criminal thing. It’s been almost two years, but Cece can’t blame him. She read up on the Sokovia Accords and they seemed a bit harsh. The Cap side of the Avengers fandom is slowly dying, she thinks sadly to herself.   
“Cecelia Banks! Are you still on that   
computer?” her mom shouts up the stairs.  
“Maybe?” She calls back. Cece hears the stomping of feet up the stairs. Welp.   
“I told you, you need to get off that thing and go outside. It’s summer, Cece.” And her Mom snatches her laptop off the desk, and her phone with it. Darn. She could have used tumblr mobile. Cece’s mom goes back downstairs, and she leans back in her new-old computer chair. She could go outside. Nah. She could clean her room. Hell to the nah. She could... introduce herself to the beefy husbands and let them know she could always walk their dog if they need it? Maybe.... Yes. Cece was going to do it. She was going to interact with someone who wasn’t her mom today. And go outside. It’s a win win that would most likely get her laptop back. Win win win. So Cece shuffles her flip flops on and walks next door, the late June sun beating down on her. She walks up the steps, onto the colorful welcome mat, and knocks on the door. Here goes, she thinks. After about 30 seconds of barking, dark haired dude opens the door, holding back the golden retriever, wearing a navy blue hoodie with the Cap shield on it, and leather gloves. He’s slightly scary looking, but if he turns out be an axe murderer, oh well. At least she got to see a cute dog before she goes.  
“Hi there?” He disappears momentarily and obviously puts the dog in a different room.  
“Hi, uh, I’m your neighbor. Er, I came to introduce myself. I’m Cece.” She did an awkward wave and continued. “Uh, if you ever need someone to walk your dog, I’m available. You don’t need to pay me or anything, I just like dogs.” Cece smiled.   
“I’m Bu-James. Do you live next door? I think I’ve seen your mom a couple of times.”   
“Yep, that’s my house.” Nice going Cece, you sound like an idiot. What a way with people you have, She thinks.  
“I’m actually taking Gracie for a walk right about now. Want to come with me and her?”  
“Sure! Um, lemme ask my mom though.” James nods and Cece jogs back next door. “Mom? I’m going with the neighbor on a walk with his dog. His name is James and he’s really nice and not a creep don’t worry.” Cece’s not even sure if her mom is home, but if she is she probably heard Cece yell. And if she already left for her all-day-and-almost-all-night shift at the hospital, oh well. She jogs back again, out to the sidewalk where James and a happy Gracie are standing.  
“Ready?” He asks.  
“Yep.” Gracie bolts as they start walking, but James gently tugs the leash until she walks in front of them.  
“I like your bracelet. Did you know that’s the Bi flag colors?” James smiles at Cece, and she gets that Oh Shit I’ve Been Caught look, eyes bulging. Damn. She’s only known this guy for 10 minutes and he already knows her deepest secret.   
“It’s okay. Does your mom know? I’m guessing she doesn’t, by the look on your face.” Cece shakes her head quietly. “My husband Steve is Bi, but me, I guess you could say I only like him.” James chuckles. They walk in silence for a bit, until Cece gets the courage to speak.   
“When did you know?” James is quiet for a moment, in thought.   
“We’ve been best friends as long as I can remember, but I knew I loved him when I was thirteen. Of course, when I was a kid, people weren’t as... tolerant as they are today, but after a very long time I got my shit togther, and we’ve been together ever since.”   
“Awww. That’s so cute!” James chuckles again, and they continue walking. He reminds Cece of someone and something, but she can’t put her finger on it. Per every hour of the day, her mind drifts to Bucky Barnes and other important things. Like Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Best friends since childhood... Man, that was a great field trip. “Reminds me of...” Cece says, almost under her breath, then trails off.  
“Reminds you of what?” James asks lightly. Dude must have scary good hearing.  
Cece definitely didn’t jump a little.   
“Oh, your story just reminded me of something I saw at the Smithsonian. It’s probably gone now, with the whole Cap’s a war criminal thing. Sorry, I’m a huge Captain America, and like, the Howling Commandos nerd.” James’ eyes go panicky for a second, but then he looks easygoing again. Weird.  
“Really? Me too.” He smiles oddly.   
“I guessed.” Cece gestures quickly to the shirt, and he freezes, then lets out a chuckle. James switches hands on the leash, snatching his buzzing phone from his pocket.   
“That was Steve. I think we might have to turn back. He has to tell me something about our job.” Cece nods and they turn around and start walking back down the street. “Is your mom home?”   
“Nope. She works super late at the hospital on tuesdays.” The odd pair walks until come up to their houses, when James’ husband pokes his head out the door and waves to them. He is also super muscly, with golden almost red hair and a beard. He also looks very, very familiar.   
“Want to come in? Steve apparently made a new cookie recipe, or so he tells me.” James offers. He says it almost awkwardly.  
“Um, sure. Not like I have anything better to do. I thought you had something with your job?”  
“Nope, it’s taken care of.” Steve nods in agreement with him, so Cece shuffles up the steps. Inside of the house is air conditioned, thank god, and decorated cozily. Sunlight streams in a window, landing on a small black cat that is sprawled on the faux-leather couch, tail wrapped around itself.  
Steve unclips Gracie’s leash, and says warmly, “So, we finally met some of our neighbors. We both, ehm, work from home, so we don’t get out much.”  
“Yeah, most of the other people on this street have little babies or are retired. It’s just my me and mom in our house.”  
\- [ ] James pipes in, “I guess you could say we-“ when Steve elbows him in the gut. After kicking him lovingly in the shins, he says, “My husband. A real sweetheart, ain’t he?”, with that old timey New Yawk accent like from movies. James grins and he looks even more familiar. Weird. Steve leads them in the kitchen, where he slides a plate of cookies to her and James. He gestures for them to sit at the counter, so Cece does. “So, Cece here tells me she’s a huge Howling Commandoes fan.”  
Steve grins. “Is that so?”  
“Yep, have been since like, 5th grade. I think Steve and Bucky are so cute!”   
“Really? You have a crush on them?”   
“No, no I think their.. erm, relationship is cute.” They both laugh after Cece says this, and her faces goes a little red.  
“Their relationship, huh? They must have been real close.” Steve says with a kind of knowing look in his eye. He quickly changes the subject, though. “Does your mom always work late on tuesdays?” Cece nods. “Well, you’re always welcome here. Here’s our home phone, if something ever happens while you’re home alone.” He scrawls it down on a slip of paper and hands it to her. 

———

The next week passes by, the same as any other, except for a few things. Cece just happens to spend a bit more time looking out her window at the neighbors, and their comings and goings. James walks Gracie, every morning. They get take-out almost every night. They pay in cash. The leave at night, and must come back during the few hours Cece sleeps, because the pickup truck is always back by the time her mom wakes her up to tell her she’s leaving for the day. Cece spends the days makeing her way through social media, then several seasons of Criminal Minds and Agents of the FBI. On Tuesday afternoon, there’s a knock on the door. She peers through her window to see James and Gracie, and opens the door.  
“Do you ever go outside, kid?”   
Cece is caught off guard. “No, not really.”  
“Okay. You want to come with me and spaz here on another walk? Steve said to invite you over again. He said you were probably lonely. Shit. Probably shouldn’t have said that to you.” James facepalms.   
“Sure, I mean, yeah, I’ve got nothing else to do.” So they go on another walk. Cece learns about how James and Steve were veterans, and how Steve is a “Certified Dumbass” and that they’ve been married for almost sixth months now. Cece nods and laughs while James tells vague stories of trouble his husband has gotten in. After walking around the block twice, they are back in their neighborhood.  
“Coming in? I’m sure Steve made more cookies. Don’t be afraid to tell him they suck.” Cece laughs and walks in.

—— 

The walk and hanging out with James and Steve becomes a weekly ritual, and Cece comes to look forward to Tuesdays. One Tuesday, Steve is in a frenzy of packing.   
“We have an er, business trip tonight. We’ll be gone for a couple of days, so we need someone look after Gracie and Natalia.” Natalia was the sleek black cat that always slept in the patch of sunlight on the couch.   
“I can!” Cece said enthusiastically. “I mean, I’m available.”   
“Sure, kid. Come back later tonight and I’ll give you a key and tell you what needs to be done to take of tic and tac here.” James nudges Gracie, who is sitting under the table, begging for a piece of Steve’s latest cookie concoction. They always taste a little like the ones Cece’s mom made the month she went on a cooking kick and made recipes from her great-grandmother’s 1940s cookbook. It’s another one of the little details Cece notices about James and Steve. She catalogues these details in her head, but she can’t seem to put them together.   
Later, at around 8 that night, Cece walks next door and knocks on the door. She hears a frenzied “Come in, Cece!” so she opens the wooden door. There are oddly shaped bags slightly scattered on the living room rug. Steve and James are in the kitchen, packing up a small backpack of snacks. They’re both dressed in heavy black pants and boots, with regular hoodies that suggest they’re wearing more layers under them.  
“Oh, hey kid. There’s a list of everything that needs to be done on the counter, and phone numbers in case of any emergencies, with a key. Just make sure no one gets a hold of the key besides you.” James says as he packs up a box of cheezits into a backpack. Cece takes the key and list, and waves goodbye to them. At ten, she watches a sleek black car and a slim blonde lady pick them up, with their weird shaped bags. Cece wonders if they’re drug dealers, or spies, or something crazy like that. Maybe. If they are drug dealers, they sure are nice ones.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cece finds out some things while dogsitting.

 

 

 

Cece unfolds the bulky note onto her desk.

_Kid- Make sure to feed and refill Natalia and Gracie’s water bowls twice a day, and take Gracie out when you come over. Make sure you change Natalia’s litter when it smells like shit, and walk Gracie at least once a day. The food is in the cabinet above the sink. Feel free to hang out with Gracie when your mom’s not home. She gets lonely too. We should be back by the weekend. In case of emergency call, one of these numbers. Call the top one for a small emergency, the bottom one for a big emergency. 317-238-0234_

431-782-641

- _James_

_P.s. Steve left cookies he made on the counter. Don’t let them get stale._

The letter’s written in loopy cursive, with a key taped to the bottom of the thin notebook paper. She folds it back up and places it back onto the desk.

——

On Wednesday morning Cece lets herself into the house, fills the food and water bowls, and takes Gracie into the backyard. She plays fetch with her for a bit with a ball that’s seen better days. They go back inside when Cece feels like she’s going to melt into the grass. She pets Natalia and then goes home. Around 5, Cece goes back over and repeats the entire thing, and takes Gracie for a walk around the block.

On Thursday, Cece’s mom takes an extra morning shift, so Cece is alone from 6-5 that day. So she takes up James and Steve’s suggestion of her hanging with Gracie, and the cookies on the counter. They did say not to let them get stale. After feeding and playing with the pets, she sits at their counter and eats a cookie. The house is slightly cluttered, as they obviously left in a hurry. There’s a notebook left on the counter near Cece, _labeled Keep Out Bucky in_ Steve’s weird old timey-cursive handwriting. Bucky? Cece thinks. Kinda weird. Intrigued, she slides the notebook slowly to her, like she’s being watched. She wouldn’t be surprised. She learned quickly how twitchy and cautious James is, especially with Steve. Still, Cece slowly opens the notebook to find- A drawing of James, sitting with Natalia on the couch. It’s drawn incredibly well, with a loving hand. It’s obviously Steve’s sketchbook. Cece knows she’s probably overstepping some kind of boundary, but now she’s not just intrigued, she’s extremely fucking curious. She slowly turns the page to another drawing of James, standing in the backyard, grinning in Steve’s direction. She turns the page again to find-

A picture of Bucky Barnes? In his uniform? What the-

She turns back to the page before, and to the Bucky Barnes pictures again. People on tumblr talk about having their third eye opened, and holy shit Cece’s just has been. All the little weird things about her neighbors all make sense now, all the familiarness about James- Bucky and Steve makes sense. The Cap merch, the Beefiness, the only leaving their house at night and- and the cat named Natalia! She’s next door neighbors with Steve Goddamn Rogers and Bucky Barnes, and they’re married. Married. All of Cece’s Nerdy Dreams just came true. And the cat she takes care of is named after The Black Widow. Cece screams a little. She says it again in her head. Then she turns the pages in the sketchbook a little more, cause she definitely wants to see Steve Rogers’ drawings. The next page is a drawing of the Black Widow. She’s smiling and sitting next to a gap-toothed man. They look really, really happy. Cece grins some more. She can’t stop. She lives next to her idols. She’s pet sitting their pets! Which brings more realization. Steve and Bucky must have been going on a super-cool evil-fighting mission, or whatever war criminal superheroes do. She goes to bed smiling.

——

On Friday morning Cece goes to feed and take out the pets again. She’s smiling the entire time. If only the people that shipped Tony and Steve could see her know. Her ship is married. This literally made her year. While she fills the pets’ water bowls and replaces Natalia’s litter, she hears a car pull up in the driveway. She knows exactly who it is, so she continues bagging cat shit while she hears the door open and Steve and Bucky come in. “Cece? Are you here? We saw the lights are on.”

“Yep! Right here.” She pokes her head out of the bathroom and waves the poop bag. “How was your, er, business trip?” Cece grins ear to ear at them. Both are wearing the same heavy black pants and boots. She notices Steve’s are navy, though. The Cap suit!!! She thinks excitedly.

“Good.” Bucky begins. “Stevie here was being a little reckless though.” He nudges Steve affectionately. Steve seems so worn out he doesn’t even retaliate, just smiles. Cece thinks, I just knew the nickname headcanon was right. Her mind is overrun with happy thoughts. She gets it back on the rails to say,

“Hey, can I ask you guys something?” Steve pauses as he puts down a bulky backpack.

“Sure, kid.”

“Uh, I know this might sound really weird, and if it’s not true, it’s probably really far fetched...” Bucky looks up curiously. “...Are you guys, um, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes?” Super subtle, Banks, Cece thinks. Both men freeze. Like, deer in headlights stopped in your tracks freeze. Then both start talking all at once.

“No, why would you think that-“ Steve starts. He’s a horrible liar. Bucky pipes in.

“Yes, kid, we are. Steve, there’s no use. I don’t think a 14-year-old kid is gonna report us to the government. Especially this one here.” He looks at Steve slightly exasperatedly, then half smiles at Cece. Cece jumps up and down, grinning again.

“OhMyGodOhMyGod I can’t believe I didn’t figure this out sooner. You guys are literally my idols. Is this what being starstruck is like? I wouldn’t know. Can I hug you? I know people with PTSD don’t like being-“ She stops, realizing she’s babbling. Nice going, Cece.

“Uh, sure.” Steve looks a little awkward saying that, while Bucky almost looks amused. So Cece briefly wraps her arms around Steve’s gigantic, muscular torso. She’s hugging Captain America. Cece’s life has peaked. Steve awkwardly pats her on the back. He really is a Human Dorito, she thinks.

“Can-“

“Of course, kid.” Bucky hugs Cece, and thinking she can’t hear it, whispers to Steve, “She’s so small.” Cece smiles even wider. She steps back, practically beaming. James is smiling too, and Steve is, but not as much. She’ll take it.

“Well... I guess I’ll be on my way.” She begins.

“Okay, don’t have too much fun on your computer. And Cece- don’t tell anyone. Our lives could be put in danger, especially Bucky’s. I’m assuming you know what happened to him, so you know that if anyone finds out where we are, both of us could be put in jail, or worse.” Steve looks at her sternly, and Cece nods quickly.

“Of course. I promise I won’t tell a soul.”

“Not even your mom.”

“Not even my mom.” Cece tries to look as serious as Steve does, but probably fails.

“Good.” Steve’s smiles again and waves as she walks down the steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked this chapter! Kudos and comments are so appreciated!! They literally made my day today. Anyway, I don’t know if I’ll make anothed chapter of this fic. Comment ideas if you want another chapter!


End file.
